Reebok ZR8 Treadmill

Product Information

What is reassuring about Reebok treadmills in general is that the motor is about as good as you can possibly expect for the home market and the Reebok ZR8 gives the impression of being a machine, which can stand up to a long period of reliable service. Although I wasn’t able to raise the volume as loud as my headphones I thought the sound quality overall was excellent. On occasions with budget treadmills the running track may move from side to side at higher incline levels due to it being further away from its starting base level.

On the Reebok ZR8, the top part of the console has 3 LCD screens, which, between them, cover the usual feedback points (speed, distance, time, calories, pulse and incline). Once you’ve decided what you’re going to do, you can set the Reebok ZR8 into motion and appreciate the quietness of its 2HP motor (with 3 HP peak speed). To help you reach your fitness goal you can plug your mobile phone into the integrated speakers and blast out your favourite motivational tracks. Alternatively, if you only like running outdoors when the weather is decent, then the Reebok ZR8 is affordable enough to be kept as a “bad weather” solution. The unique ZigTech cushioning system will take care of dispersing the impact energy across the length of the running deck, helping to protect your joints.To be fair, we can actually see this serving a practical purpose since we’re guessing that a fair number of these treadmills will find themselves installed in upstairs rooms and flats and this could help to keep the peace with those downstairs by removing the possibility of you just letting the deck drop, by accident or forgetfulness.

We are therefore taking a look at the Reebok ZR8 to see how it measures up against them and, ultimately, whether it’s worth the extra money or are you paying for the name alone? Getting to grips with the ZR8 was easy, I was quickly able to change the speed and incline on the fly. The ZR8 comes with a peace of mind Reebok 10-year motor, lifetime frame, and 2-year parts and labour warranty as standard. The console will help you keep track of how you are progressing by providing detailed feedback on your calories burned, duration of the run, distance travelled, current speed, elevation and heart rate – using the integrated hand pulse sensor built into the hand rests. Hence, if you’ve been struggling to find a treadmill to fit into your space when out of use, the Reebok ZR8 could be worth a look on those grounds alone.

For ourselves the key point is that we’re happy you can fold and unfold the deck without damaging your fingers, knees or back. Having said that if you are able to get it on a special discount as we did, then you will be hard pressed to get a better quality treadmill for your money. The running track of the ZR8 is also larger than other similar Reebok models (not majorly but enough to notice).

Fitness trainer to the stars with over 20 years of experience, Kelvin loves his job, his clients and passing on his knowledge. This machine has 12 levels of incline giving the average runner more than enough variations if their training requires any specific settings. We do have to warn you that if you’re the kind of person who likes to turn it up to 11 volume-wise, then you’re going to have to make alternative arrangements, however for everyone else the volume level should be sufficient (particularly given how quiet the motor is) and the sound quality was, if we’re honest, better than we were expecting. There are 24 pre- set programmes plus bodyfat 3 target programmes and 3 other user defined programmes – 31 in all so plenty to keep you motivated. Nutrition, exercises, diet, equipment, family and lifestyle – If it’s fitness related then we’ve got you covered.The treadmill comes with easy to follow assembly instructions and a dedicated Reebok UK freephone helpline and online chat, should you require any assistance. Even the cheaper Reebok GT30 has a more detailed LCD unit giving you more in-depth feedback of your training. Please note that our content is for information purposes only and that we do our very best to give you the correct details at the time of publish. As we’ve mentioned, you can choose your own speed and incline or opt for one of 24 pre-set programmes which cover all kinds of muscle groups and workout aims, along with 3 “target” programmes (time, distance and calories), 3 user-defined programs and a body fat tester. I have seen better displays on other treadmills even when taking into account we paid less than half the RRP.